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New BrunswickAnn's Eye

Watch: Inside an Indigenous moose hunt

Ann Paul had never been hunting before, but last weekend, she woke up at 4:30 a.m., grabbed a coffee from Tim Hortons and hit the road.

St. Marys First Nation hosts a moose hunting competition every year

Anns Eye: Looking for moose with St. Mary's First Nation hunters

2 years ago
Duration 2:46
The 8th annual Chief Harold Sappier Memorial Bull Moose Hunt brought 10 moose for elders and another six for their families this winter.

Ann Paul had never been hunting before, but last weekend, she woke up at 4:30 a.m., grabbed a coffee from Tim Hortons and hit the road.

CBC hired Paul to gather photos and video of theannual moose hunt competition organized bySitansisk, St. Mary's First Nation. She joined experienced hunter Brenna Nash, a woman who knows how to gut her own moose and tan its hide.

They spent three dayswalking through the trees and clearings of Pokiok and CrowHill, Crown land where they're allowed to hunt. Watch the video above to see them study tracks, peer in between branches and use a horn made of rolled up birch bark to call to the moose.

No, they didn't bring one home but at the end of the day, Nash said the competition is still fun. Several other hunters brought moose home to the butcher, which were later distributed to the community's elders.

Scroll through the photos below to see what Ann Paul photographed during her first moose hunt.

A woman in an orange sweater and hat stands with her back turned to the camera. She's pointing binoculars to the nearby woods.
For this assignment, Ann Paul wanted to photograph an experienced hunter someone who knows her stuff. Brenna Nash has been hunting since she was a young girl, and she taught Paul the difference between moose and deer tracks, plus how to tell if a moose is nearby. (Ann Paul)
A woman in an orange shirt and baseball cap stands in some country brush. She smiles at the camera.
Moose are hunted and given to the communitys elders, Paul said, and eaten in celebration of the moose. (Ann Paul)
A young woman in an orange hat and baseball cap sits in a car reading a book.
Jennifer Davenport of St. Marys First Nation reads up on hunting safety ahead of the big day. (Ann Paul)
A large boot print is shown next to a moose track, which is even bigger.
It might look small, but its anything but. The moose track pictured here sits next to the footprint of a women's size 10 boot. (Ann Paul)
A pile of rocks called an inukshuk stands in a forest clearing.
Ann Paul said she stumbled across this one day during the hunt. 'I just thought it was beautiful,' she said. 'I said, Look, Brenna! Theres a sign that we were here.' (Ann Paul)
A woman stands near a forest holding a horn made of birch bark up to her mouth.
Brenna Nash used this horn made of rolled up birch bark to call to moose. There are different kinds of moose calls that can mimic a young bull, a male grunt or a female response. (Ann Paul)
Trees with yellow and red leaves beneath a blue sky.
Autumn was showing its full sleeve of colours in the woods near Crow Hill. (Ann Paul)
A woman stands in a wide clearing, using binoculars to search for moose on the outskirts of the woods.
Brenna Nash stands in a wide clearing, using binoculars to search for moose on the outskirts of the woods. (Ann Paul)
One man and three women in orange sweaters stand together in front of a forest.
From left to right: Ann Paul, Trevor Harrison (Brennas partner), Brenna Nash, and Jennifer Davenport. (Ann Paul)
A graphic drawing shows an Indigenous woman holding a camera up to her eye.
(CBC News Graphics)